Control and management of multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: A review of the evidence and proposal of novel approaches

Hospital-acquired infections are on the rise and are a substantial cause of clinical and financial burden for healthcare systems. While infection control plays a major role in curtailing the spread of outbreak organisms, it is not always successful. One organism of particular concern is Acinetobacter baumannii, due to both its persistence in the hospital setting and its ability to acquire antibiotic resistance. A. baumannii has emerged as a nosocomial pathogen that exhibits high levels of resistance to antibiotics, and remains resilient against traditional cleaning measures with resistance to Colistin increasingly reported. Given the magnitude and costs associated with hospital acquired infections, and the increase in multidrug-resistant organisms, it is worth re-evaluating our current approaches and looking for alternatives or adjuncts to traditional antibiotics therapies. The aims of this review are to look at how this organism is spread within the hospital setting, discuss current treatment modalities, and propose alternative methods of outbreak management.

Rapid publications risk the integrity of science in the era of COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Preprint manuscripts, rapid publications and opinion pieces have been essential in permitting the lay press and public health authorities to preview data relating to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including the range of clinical manifestations and the basic epidemiology early on in the pandemic. However, the rapid dissemination of information has highlighted some issues with communication of scientific results and opinions in this time of heightened sensitivity and global concern.

MAIN TEXT

Rapid publication of COVID-19 literature through expedited review, preprint publications and opinion pieces are important resources for the medical scientific community. Yet the risks of unverified information loom large in times when the healthcare community is desperate for information. Information that has not been properly vetted, or opinion pieces without solid evidence, may be used to influence public health policy decisions. We discuss three examples of unverified information and the consequences in this time of high anxiety surrounding COVID-19.

CONCLUSIONS

In an era when information can be widely and swiftly disseminated, it is important to ensure that the scientific community is not an inadvertent source of misinformation. This will require a multimodal approach, with buy-in from editors, publishers, preprint servers, authors and journalists. The landscape of medical publications has changed, and a collaborative approach is required to maintain a high standard of scientific communications.